Flu fears prompt hospital screenings

Lowell General Hospital has begun screening visitors for flu-like symptoms in an effort to protect their patients from the ravaging influenza epidemic. Those who show obvious signs of the illness will be asked to leave. The inpatient units are off-limits to those under age 14 for now, except for children and siblings of patients.

Lahey Hospital & Medical Center in Burlington is also asking people with the flu or flu-like symptoms to delay their visits or wear a mask.

And at Middlesex Community College, staff and faculty will closely monitor absences among employees and students when classes resume next week and target high-absence classrooms for thorough sanitization.

Hospitals, colleges and others are taking extra precautions to prevent influenza from further spreading, even as the outbreak may be showing signs of slowing down. There have been at least 18 influenza-related deaths reported across the state, including a 6-year-old in Boston a 59-year-old North Chelmsford woman. According to an obituary in Sunday's Sun supplied by the Morse-Bayliss Funeral Home, Debra Perreault died Jan. 9 of complications from the flu.

During the last week of December, four out of every 100 patients visiting "sentinel sites" -- outpatient health-care providers that report flu-related activities to the state -- came in with flu or flu-like symptoms.

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Last week, the ratio dropped to almost three out of every 100 patients, according to the state Department of Public Health.

But that's only an "early trend based on one week," Lowell Health Director Frank Singleton said.

"We have a few indicators of small decreases in volume of patients with flu-like symptoms, and nationally numbers are dropping slightly," Robert Duncan, Lahey's hospital epidemiologist, said in a statement. "But the flu season is not yet over and remains unpredictable."

Health professionals say getting a flu shot is still the most effective defense against influenza. But most area pharmacies have already run out of flu shot supplies for adults under age 65. Singleton said he could not find a single pharmacy in Lowell that had a supply as of Monday afternoon. High-dose flu shots specifically designed for people over 65 remain available at many pharmacies, Singleton said.

Lahey Hospital and Beverly Hospital, which are both part of Lahey Health, held public flu clinics over the weekend. No additional flu clinics have been planned, but Lahey Health is recommending those interested in getting a flu shot to consult with their physicians.

Demand for flu shots began to surge as soon as Boston Mayor Thomas Menino announced the city's public-health emergency, according to Singleton. Local pharmacies were administering five shots a day before Menino's announcement. Suddenly they saw 50 people coming through the doors a day.

Singleton believes many large-chain pharmacies will have their stocks at least partially replenished today. But the city Health Department no longer has a complete grasp of flu-shot supplies across the city because vaccines are directly distributed to the stores without going through the municipal department after state regulation changes two years ago, Singleton said.

In the meantime, universities are doing what they can do to keep the flu from spreading.

UMass Lowell has also held a series of flu clinics for students, faculty and staff during the fall semester and will likely have more as students return for the new semester beginning Jan. 22, said university spokeswoman Christine Gillette. The university also plans to provide students with quick access to health professionals through Student Health Services and distribute flu-prevention information and kits that include hand sanitizer and disposable thermometers.

Middlesex Community College -- where students will also return on Jan. 22 -- will be doing what it has done and has proven effective since 2009: Keeping track of illnesses among students, faculty and staff through an internal database. If there are multiple illnesses reported from particular classrooms, for example, the staff would have cleaning crews clean computer keyboards, door handles and other surfaces, said college spokesman Patrick Cook. The college also encourages people to take precautionary measures, such as thorough hand washing.

"It's an education campaign," Cook said of the flu-prevention message.

Lahey Hospital is also "aggressively cleaning high touch points," such as doorknobs, and promoting vigilant hand hygiene.

At Lowell General Hospital, those under 18 are also restricted from the Special Care Nursery for now. Such visitor restrictions are often implemented during flu season, said Angela Strunk, manager of marketing and public relations at the hospital. Lowell General Hospital and other health institutions have already helped their employees protect themselves against influenza through vaccinations earlier in the season. At Emerson Hospital in Concord, 93 percent of employees are already vaccinated, said Susan McHenry, manager of infection prevention at the hospital.

The number of patients who have come in with flu-like symptoms this flu season is tenfold of that of last year, McHenry said. But the flow of patients has been steady, not overwhelming.

Lowell General Hospital is handling the demands smoothly, as well, officials said. Flu and flu-like illnesses, as well as upper-respiratory problems that people often suffer during winter, kept the emergency-room staff busy throughout the weekend, Strunk said.

The flu outbreak has impacted how Catholics celebrate Sunday Mass, as well. The Archdiocese of Boston has suspended the use of the wine chalice during Communion as a precautionary measure against the flu epidemic. The church is also encouraging those who attend Mass to exchange a bow or similiar gesture instead of shaking hands for the "sign of peace."

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